Doorknob with illuminating means



April 20, 1954 R. J. blTTMAN DOORKNOB WITH ILLUMINATING MEANS Filed Feb. 7, 1952 wwm R7 Y .B

guided and flexed into Patented Apr. 20, 1954 "Qumran sm'rrzs PATENT OFFICE Robert J. Dittman, Detroit, Mich. Application February 7, 1952, Serial No. 270,487

This invention relates to new and useful im;

provements in handles and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a door knob or handle'with an illuminating means whereby the lock of the door or the interior of room areas adjacent the door may be illuminated in a convenient manner.

. Another important object of thepresent inventionis to provide a door knob or handle, of hollow construction, and having an opening therein through which light rays will be directed by a self-contained illuminating means supported within the hollow handle construction.

A further object of the present. invention is to provide a door knob of theaforementioned character involving a manually actuated sliding switch having a resilient arm that isslidably circuit closing position as the switch is manually moved to its circuit closing position.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a door knob or handle with an illuminating means that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, efiicient and durable in operation, neat and attractive in appearance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted to the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside .in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereoflwherein like numerals refer to like. parts throughout, and in which: 7 7

Figure l is a side elevational view of the present invention attached to the knob spindle;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectionalview taken sub: stantially on the plane of section line 3-3 of Figure 2; Figure ,4 is an elevational view of the inner half of the knob with the cover or front'half removed and with part of the partition wall broken away to show its holding bar;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of Figure 3 and showing the switch moved to its circuit closed position; 7

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the upper portion of the partition wall used in the invention; and,

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 1-1 of Figure 5. i

Referring now to the drawings in detail, where: in for the purpose of illustration,

there is 4 Claims.- (Cl. Mil-2.13)

closed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral I0 represents the door knob or handle, generally, that includes inner and outer concavo-convex body forming members I2 and I4. A peripheral edge of the member I2 is formed with a peripheral recess I6 that accommodates the peripheral edge I8 of the member I4 in order to retain the members I2 and I4 assembled in the form of a hand grip or knob, as illus-e trated .best in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings.

Member I2 is integrally formed at its central portion with a socket 20 that accommodates the outer end of the knob spindle 22. A set screw 24 receivably engaged in an aperture provided in the socket 20, engages the spindle 22 and retains the knob I0 upon its operating shaft 22.

A substantially horizontal cross bar 26 is terminallyfixed to the inner periphery of the member I2or integrally formed with the member I2. A circular partition wall 23 is disposed in front of and engages the cross bar 26. A U-shaped resilient clip 30 is secured at its web portion to the central portion of the wall 28 and the cross bar 28 by fastener 32 and yieldingly grips and supports in a substantially vertical position, a battery 34. I V I A reflector 36 is suitably secured to the lower portion of the wall 28 and is formed witha central internally threaded aperture 38 that receivably engages the base 40 of 40 contacts the terminal of the battery 34 and the lamp bulb registers with or opposes an open ing 44 in the lower portion of the member I4 in which there is suitably mounted a transparent window element 46.

A switch is slidably carried I2 and includes a slidable operating button having-its reduced portion 52 slidably received in a slot 54 provided in the member I2. One end of an-arcuate resilient contact or conductive arm '55 issecured tothe reduced inner .end- 52 of the button 50 by a fastener 58 and the inner end of the spring arm is connected toand contacts the inner periphery of the member I2. The outer free end 63 of the arm 56 extends through a slot 62in the wall 28 above the base of the battery 34. Due to the curvature of the arm 56 and the width of the slot 82, as the button 50 ismoved toward the upper edge of the slot 54, the slot '62 will function a cam to flex the arm 56 and cause the free end fia'thereof to bend against the base of the battery 34 and thereby complete the circuit to the lamp bulb 42. I

Obviously, the reflector 36 could be discarded under certain conditions with the member I4 a lamp bulb 42. The base by the member made of transparent material or translucent material in order to permit light rays to pass therethrough.

Not only will the present handle and its illuminating means effectively illuminate the lock of a door, but will also provide a means for illuminating a room area on opposite sides of a door, so that articles within the various room areas may be conveniently observed.

In view of the-foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in the art. ingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same A more detailed description. is accord. I

ing a slot therein slidably receiving the arm and flexing the same against the base terminal of the battery as the switch is slid to its closing position, the base terminal of the lamp bulb being in contact with and electrically connected to the reflector to complete the circuit.

3. A doorknob with illuminating means comprising inner and outer concavo-convex members each having a peripheraledge, said peripheral edges being engaged with each other to retain the members in the shape of a, knob, a bar having its ends fixedly attached to the inner periphery of the inner member, a wall within the inner member in front of the bar, a U-shaped clip secured to the wall and the bar, a battery held by the clip in a substantially vertical position and having a. base terminal and a central terminal,

is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and'the-scope of the appended claims.

Having described-the invention, what is claimed asnew is:

1'. ,As an article of manufacture, a; hollow door handle having an opening therein, a reflector supported in the" handle in registry with said opening, a; lamp bulb supported by the reflector and: having a central. terminal and a base terminal, a battery in the handle having a base terminal and a central terminal contacting the central terminal of the lamp bulb to connect the lamp bulb in circuit with said battery, and a circuit grounding member'slidably carried by said handle and electrically connected to the handle for selectively engaging and releasing the base terminal of the battery to close and open the cir-' cuit, said grounding member including a spring arm for retaining the grounding member engaged with the base terminal of the battery, said arm being, resilient and arcuate, and a partition Wall within the handle having a slot therein slidably receiving the arm and having an edge forming a cam means for flexing the arm during sliding thereof into engagement with the base terminal of the battery, the base terminal of the lamp bulb being electrically connected. in said circuit to completethe same.

2. As an article of manufacture, a doorknob comprising a pair of hollow concavo-convex bodyforming members each having a peripheral edge, said peripheral edges being rcleasably engaged one with the other tov retain the body-forming members connected together, a partition wall carried within one of the members, a. reflector supported on the wall and extending into the interior of the other of said members, said other of said members having a window opening therein in, registry with the reflector, a lamp bulb supported by the reflector for directing light rays through"the.opening and having, a, central terminaland a base terminal, a U-shaped clip secured to the wall above the reflector, a battery yieldingly held by the clip andhaving a base terminal and. acentral terminal engaging the central terminalof the lamp bulb to connect said lamp bulb and battery in circuit, and a slidable switch including a button slidably carried. by said one of said members for closing the circuit and a resilient contact arm electrically connected to the said one of said memberssaid wall hava reflector attached to the lower portion of the wall under the battery and having an aperture therein in registry with: the central terminal of the battery, a lamp bulb having a base terminal threaded in the opening and a central contact electrically connected to the central" terminal of the battery to connect said lamp bulb in circuit with said battery, said outer member having'an opening in registry with the lamp bulb, and a grounding arm slidably carried by the inner member and movable into circuit closing engagement with the base terminal of the battery, the base terminal of the lamp bulb being in contact with and electrically connected to the reflector to complete the circuit.

4.. A doorknob comprising a hollow body memher having an. opening therein, a partition in said body member having a slot therein, a battery mounted on said partition and having a base terminal and a central terminal, a lamp bulb having aibase terminal and a central terminal contacting the central terminal of the battery to connect the lamp bulb in circuit with said battery, a reflector on said partition having the base terminal of the lamp bulb in contact therewith and electrically connected thereto, a switch button slidably received in the opening and having an enlarged head engaging the outer periphery of said member, and a resilient circuit grounding arm secured to the button and engaging the inner periphery of said member on opposite sides of the opening to retain the button in the opening and ground the circuit to said member, said arm extending through the slot and across the base terminal of the battery to be flexed into engagement therewith by camming action against one'edge of theslot as the button is slid in the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date- 1,035,879 Hubert Aug. 20, 1912 1,230,942 Sundh June 26, 1917 1,291,494 Hall Jan. 14, 19 19 1,331,959 Elfstrom Feb. 24, 1920 2,005,274 Taylor June 18, 1935 2,007,101 Vonderembse July 2, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 533,189 Great Britain Feb. 7, 1941 

